USS Maine (ACR-1)
USS Maine was a pre-dreadnought who served in the U.S. Navy in the late 1890's. She was outdated by the time she was commissioned, but managed to serve for 2 and a half years before she exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba in 1898. She was salvaged and scuttled in 1911. She remained on the bottom until she was brought back. She now serves in Adventure Bay's Navy as an auxiliary. History USS Maine was laid down on October 17, 1888 as part of a rearmament program following a naval decline after the Civil War. Maine was intended to be the flagship of the new navy. She had barely learned her surroundings when she was launched on November 18, 1889. She was already sliding down the slipway when the bottle was smashed over her bow, a shipbuilding tradition blessing her with good fortune. Despite the blessing, she had to wait 3 years before she was fitted out due to delays with supplying the steel armor plates. During that time, Maine developed friendships with older ships that occasionally sailed by, though she was still blind at the time. She was finally commissioned into the new U.S. Navy on September 17, 1895. Even then, she wasn't a happy ship. Even she didn't know why. Her first duty was with the North Atlantic Squadron, with whom she basically patrolled the East Coast. She nearly suffered disaster when the squadron ran into a storm on one patrol. Though she survived, the storm revealed her tendency to role heavily in rough seas; at one point, her list reached 45 degrees! Among the things she found weird was the nation's fascination with her. On her visit to New Orleans, she was received as though she was the British Queen! None of the other warships of the Squadron knew what was up with the people either. Maine's last destination was Havana, Cuba. There was a civil war going on there in January, 1898 and the U.S. seemed interested in the whole thing. Maine herself was horrified when she learned she was to be sent to Cuba. She had heard how chaotic things were getting there and she wanted no part in it. In fact, the general in Cuba didn't ask for Maine, but there was a mix up in communications, so Maine was sent on her own, much to her disliking. Initially, Maine's visit went well. She was greeted warmly, though she had absolutely no idea what anyone was saying or doing, and she soon forgot what she was so worried about. She was looking forward to a good time when her world suddenly went black. It was 9:40 p.m., February 15, 1898. At that time, her forward magazine detonated, blowing her bow to pieces. Most of her crew were killed instantly. What was left of her sank within minutes, burying into the muddy bottom and suffering smaller explosions all through the night. Almost immediately, news of what had happened spread like wildfire. There was widespread belief that the Spanish had sunk Maine on purpose, though there was little basis in that. In April, 1898, the U.S. declared war on Spain with cries of "remember the Maine!" After the Spanish were defeated in August of 1898, the U.S. entered the Imperial stage of its history. As for Maine, she just sat where she sank until 1911, when it was decided Maine must be raised. She was taking up valuable space in the harbor and was a potential obstacle for any ship that was sailing nearby. So a cofferdam was built around Maine and the water pumped out. Her superstructure was dismantled and chucked into the sea. her bow was cut off and the opening plugged. She was then towed to a position 4 miles from the Cuban coast and scuttled in 3,600 feet of water. She remained there for over a century. When Maine came to, she wasn't at all in Cuba. She then saw a she-pup on her forecastle, who introduced herself as Masilla. Maine was told her friends had scuttled her and left her to rust and that she had saved her. She then asked her to join her fleet. Masilla's story didn't make any sense to Maine. Firstly, scuttling was a slow process and her blackout had been instantaneous. Secondly, in a harbor as shallow as Havana, the Navy wouldn't allow a ship her size to remain at the bottom for very long due to the hazards she would create. And thirdly, her surroundings told her she wasn't in the 1890's anymore. Thus, Maine rejected Masilla's offer and broke out, destroying many facilities on the pier before sailing into the ocean. She ran out of fuel on the way home and was later found adrift by the PAW Patrol. She was relieved to see someone as they were in the middle of a storm at the time. Once she was introduced to their navy, she eagerly joined. Appearance (pup form) Maine is a pug, much like her captain's dog. Maine's underbelly is red with a white coat and gold ears. Her feet are black. Characteristics (ship form) General Stats Length : 324 ft, 4 in. (98.9 m) Beam : 57 ft. (17.4 m) Draft : 22 ft, 6 in. (6.9 m) This value is an average, Maine sat slightly bow down. Power : 8 boilers. 9,293 hp. Propulsion : 2 vertical triple expansion steam engines, one propeller for each. Crew Compliment : 374 members. Armament 2 dual 10-in (254 mm) 30 caliber Mark 2 guns. These weapons are a feature Maine shared with Texas, another pre-dreadnought (not to be confused with the Texas that served in World War 2), as they are arranged in an el echelon fashion with the forward turret situated on a sponson on the starboard side and the aft turret on a sponson on the port side. This arrangement gives each turret 180 degrees of coverage on their side and 64 degrees on the other side. It was problematic in Maine's day as she would list if both guns were pointed the same way due to lack of counterbalance. The vacuum from passing shells could also damage the surrounding deck and superstructure. As for their performance, they can elevate up to 15 degrees and depress -3 degrees. They can fire 2 rounds a minute with maximum range being 20,000 yards (18 kilometers). 6 single 6-in (152 mm) 30 caliber Mark 3 guns. Little data exists for these particular weapons, but they are located in casemates, 2 on each end and 2 in the middle. They can elevate 12 degrees and depress -7 degrees. Their maximum range is 9,000 yards (8.2 kilometers) 7 2.2-inch (57 mm) 6-pounder guns. These weapons are mounted on the superstructure. They can fire 8,700 yards (7.955 kilometers) at 20 rpm. 8 1-pounder guns. 4 of these are on the superstructure, 2 are in the stern deck and 1 is in each of the spotting tops. They can fire 3,500 yards (3.2 kilometers) at 30 rpm. 4 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes. These tubes can fire a single torpedo, but they are hull mounted, so turning the ship is required to aim them. Armor Main Belt : 12 in (305 mm) Deck : 2-3 in (51-76 mm) Turrets : 8 in (203 mm) Conning Tower : 10 in (254 mm) Bulkheads : 6 in (152 mm) Personality Maine is a bit of a bumbler, yet doesn't know she's a bumbler. She has a habit of refusing advise until it's too late. Also, having exploded in a Spanish port, she has a grudge against the Spanish, believing the false rumors that they were the ones who sank her. She had no crushes at this point. Current Role In Adventure Bay's Navy, Maine is an auxiliary, a ship that provides general support for the main fleet. Maine doesn't like her role, but she doesn't complain either due to fear of being struck for insubordination.